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Paul B. · September 5, 1999, 07:10 PM

Longpath. Elmer's old .44 Mag. load was 22.0 gr. 2400. I dropped to 20.0 as I felt his was too hot in a 629 with 6 inch barrel. All I use now in 44's are Ruger Super blackhawks. The 18.0 gr. load should be more than safe in a .44 Magnum. The Lyman book (47th ed.) shows 18.2/2400 as a starting load for around 915 fps. 22.2/2400 was the max they gave. I went that far,(22.2) but the load was very uncomfortable to shoot for me, and although there were no pressure signs visible, I had the feeling I was above the safe point for that revolver.
I much prefer W-296. It goes through a powder measure just slicker'n snot on a doorknob. The flat flakes of 2400 seem to slip in between the frame and rotor of my two measures. Bullseye and Unique do the same. The little testing I've done with W-231 hasn't told me much yet. I think it is a bit slower than Bullseye.
In .44 Spl. brass, I like 7.5 gr. Unique, and use 8.5 gr. in .44 Mag. brass. This gives about the same ballistics with 240 gr. cast lead bullets. The 7.5/.44 Spl. load was a favorite load of the late Skeeter Skelton. Works right well too.
Paul B.

September 5, 1999, 07:10 PM	#8
Paul B. Senior Member Join Date: March 28, 1999 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 3,801	Longpath. Elmer's old .44 Mag. load was 22.0 gr. 2400. I dropped to 20.0 as I felt his was too hot in a 629 with 6 inch barrel. All I use now in 44's are Ruger Super blackhawks. The 18.0 gr. load should be more than safe in a .44 Magnum. The Lyman book (47th ed.) shows 18.2/2400 as a starting load for around 915 fps. 22.2/2400 was the max they gave. I went that far,(22.2) but the load was very uncomfortable to shoot for me, and although there were no pressure signs visible, I had the feeling I was above the safe point for that revolver. I much prefer W-296. It goes through a powder measure just slicker'n snot on a doorknob. The flat flakes of 2400 seem to slip in between the frame and rotor of my two measures. Bullseye and Unique do the same. The little testing I've done with W-231 hasn't told me much yet. I think it is a bit slower than Bullseye. In .44 Spl. brass, I like 7.5 gr. Unique, and use 8.5 gr. in .44 Mag. brass. This gives about the same ballistics with 240 gr. cast lead bullets. The 7.5/.44 Spl. load was a favorite load of the late Skeeter Skelton. Works right well too. Paul B.